Chapter 33

We sent out a signal to the White Claw to return, so that they could begin the collection of the platforms. More importantly I wanted as much of the wreckage we could collect, so that we would be able to expand our list of components and materials that we know the Neornith currently use. The Assent moved to the pod to begin the retrieval process, though we kept an eye on any other signs that someone might arrive. Beth was happy to be out of the pod and deactivated the communicator before leaving the pod. We placed it in a container that we were confident would prevent any hidden transmissions from being sent out and attracting unwanted attention. Once the pod was returned to the ship and Beth was safe inside the Assent, the next step was to deal with the destroyer that we had just gained control of.

Upon closer inspection of the vessel, it was clear that the ship had been rushed into service and that they didn’t even try to make her truly space worthy. There were areas of the hull that were exposed, though there were signs of force fields in place to keep the atmosphere and structural integrity in check.

“Tigra, can you give me a situation report on the Bloodlust?” I asked. “We need to know if she will make it back to the station in one piece.”

Tigra appeared on the bridge and his eyes glowed for a few moments before the iris returned to normal and he turned his focus to me.

“The ship is indeed in bad shape,” he said, as he made a display of the ship appear in his open hand. “There are about two hundred and fifteen Mac’skarians on the ship, which is below the proper minimum crew complement for a ship of that size.”

I crossed my arms and asked, “Just what is the minimum and maximum crew capacity for a ship that size?”

“Minimum ship complement would be four hundred and ten, with a maximum crew complement of one thousand, two hundred and twenty-seven,” Tigra answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

“That is a lot of Mac’skarians,” I replied with a sigh. “Why did it need that many crew members?”

“This class of destroyer was designed for one purpose. To conquer,” Tigra replied. “This ship was designed to handle ship to ship-based space contact, planetary bombardment, as well as invasion and occupation. Typically, this ship would have twenty drop vessels as well as three dozen two-man fighters. The drop vessels would contain two pilots and twenty-four marines.”

“So nearly half of the crew requirements were for the marines and pilots for the fighters and drop ships.”

Tigra nodded, “That is correct, sir. If the attack groups are not counted, three hundred are needed to safely pilot the ship. The minimum crew complement of four hundred is to ensure there are fighter squadrons to protect the ship. I would assume the six hundred regular crew members would be to ensure there is backup in case of casualties, as well as maintaining security on such a large vessel. There are no functional drop ships or fighters on the Bloodlust that I can detect.”

I began to pace as I processed the information. “What is the status of the systems? Weapons, shields, propulsion?”

“There are massive power fluctuations on the ship, sir,” Tigra replied, showing red areas in the display of the ship. “It seems there are issues with the power core, as well as leaks along numerous power junctions throughout the ship. They have sectioned those areas off with force fields, but it has created a serious strain on the core. It also seems there are issues with the Luminal drive as well.”

I stopped pacing and said, “What do you mean issues with the Luminal drive? How were they able to make it here if the Luminal drive isn’t functioning properly?”

“It is too small for a ship of that size,” Tigra answered, adjusting the display to show a field around the ship. “Typically, the Luminal drive should shroud the ship from the turbulence caused by entering, exiting, and traversing hyperspace. If it is too small, then there will be holes in the field, leaving areas of the ship temporarily exposed. It would explain the damage we are seeing on the exterior hull of the Bloodlust.”

The display changed and now it highlighted various sections of damage, but not all of it.

“So not all of the damage to the hull is from shoddy repairs?” I asked the hologram.

“It is true that they didn’t perform adequate repairs to make the ship truly space worthy, you can see how the turbulence has caused shearing to the hull.”

The display zoomed in, and I could see the shearing that he had been referring to. The damage wasn’t just lack of proper repairs but gouging of the ship’s hull.

“Their weapons are currently offline, but I can only detect a handful of them actually functional,” Tigra explained, highlighting the functional weapons as green and the rest as red. “Their shields are far weaker than they should be, but this is probably due to the strain on the power core.”

“Would the ship survive the trip back to the station?” I asked, as I continued to process what Tigra was telling me. “Depending on how things go, we may need to bring it back to the station before we relocate the crew.”

Tigra’s eyes flashed quickly before he nodded, “There should be minimal casualties, but I would suggest sending over some of my drones to offset the power disparity and perhaps augment the Luminal field to limit any further damage.”

I let out a frustrated sigh and said, “Then the next step is meeting all the lovely Mac’skarians and hoping that they won’t just try to blow up the ship.”

“If the AI unit is fully functional, there would be little that they would be able to do to sabotage or destroy the ship at this time,” Tigra replied, before making the hologram disappear.

“Thank you for your help, Tigra,” I said just before the AI disappeared in a flash of light.

I glanced over at Hertal, and he gave me a silent nod before turning to ask his communications officer to open a channel to the ship. Until the time was right, I moved out of view and waited to see what would happen.

“Mac’skarian vessel, this is Captain Hertal of the Assent,” Hertal announced. “We mean you no harm, but we could not allow you to harm us or the individual in the pod.”

“This is the Mac’skarian vessel Bloodlust,” came the reply. “The denizens upon this vessel have been locked out while I await orders from the current commander of the Omega Protocol.”

Staying out of sight, I said, “Please allow the captain of the vessel to respond to any questions asked by Captain Hertal.”

“Voice recognized,” replied the AI unit. “Temporary communication allowance will be given for the Captain.”

“This is Commander Nor’tagth of the Bloodlust,’’ announced a deep baritone voice. “You have unlawfully detained this vessel in carrying out of its duties. Release us immediately or face the consequences.”

“What consequences would those be?” asked Hertal in a slightly irritated tone. “Your ship is having issues with power and hull integrity as well as every other system. Most of your weapons don’t work and those that do are under control of the AI unit that was reactivated by the Omega Protocol. There is really nothing you can do to us, yet you seem to think that you have the upper hand. Did you not witness the destruction of your cloaked Neornith escort?”

There was silence on the other end for a few moments, “I don’t know what trickery you used to activate the dormant AI of the ship, but we will regain control.”

“No you won’t,” I replied. “The AI, once activated, is the heart of the ship. By now, it has reintegrated into every system of the ship and as such crippling it would cripple the ship. So you have two choices. Choice number one. You decide to remain our enemies, in which case you and your crew will be left on a habitable world, with a means to call for help to the core worlds, though there is no telling how long it would take for rescue to come. Choice number two, you hear what we have to say with an open mind and perhaps we could work together rather than be enemies.”

“You are led by someone who is not Mac’skarian!” Yelled the captain. “We will not allow ourselves to be subjugated by an alien race that seeks to control us.”

“You’re already too late for that,” announced Beth who came to join us on the bridge. “I am Il’bet’atal Brak’lita. I was one of the operatives sent by our home world to hide among your crew to look for a usurper. Someone claiming to be helping our people but alien to us. I have seen firsthand the negligence the core worlds have shown towards our people whom they have decided to leave unaided. They steal people from the settlements to make soldiers or slaves to the Neornith! The Neornith were the ones who nearly destroyed our people in the first place, and I have seen our so-called leaders bow to these aliens time and time again. Bowing so that they could retain the power that our enemies gifted them and their ancestors for betraying our people. I lived with the settlement for years and saw how they helped each other to grow and prosper. The one who leads with the Omega protocol wants to help us rise above our circumstances to something better. Not just for the settlements or the core worlds, but everyone that he can help.”

“Nothing but lies,” yelled the Bloodlust’s captain. “How do you intend to prove anything that you say?”

“Tigra, transmit all recorded conversations pertaining to what happened, how we are currently living, who our enemies are, why it happened and anything else that may prove what we say is true to the AI of the Bloodlust. Transmit all of it to every screen of the ship to make sure that all crewmembers are able to see it. We can talk more when that is finished.”

Tigra once again appeared and nodded before his eyes began to glow. That lasted for a few minutes before he shimmered once again out of view. While we waited, We continued to scan the area for any sign of another ship approaching for which we weren’t ready. There were no surprises or signs of another threat as we waited and an hour later, we received a signal from the AI aboard the Bloodlust.

“You have been shown some of our evidence, but there is more to see and many things you could ask yourself,” I stated hoping that some of it got through to them.

“Roughly seventy percent of the crew have decided on the second option,” replied the ship’s AI. “Ten percent of the crew are opting for the first choice while the remaining twenty percent are still undecided.”

I pondered what to do for a few moments and said, “Have those who have chosen the first option restricted to their quarters. The twenty percent that are undecided, monitor to ensure they are not lying and planning to act against us. Please have the crew prepare for the trip back to our station. For now, prepare for a collection of drones that will be sent over to stabilize your power systems for travel.”

The AI acknowledged the orders, and we checked our reserves of materials. We still had at least half a day before the White Claw would arrive, so I decided to use what we had to help repair the hull. Hopefully, with the repairs we would be able to manage, we could lessen the strain on the power core. Then we could use the drones to augment the Luminal field and hopefully lessen the damage on the way to the station.

We were able to repair roughly twenty percent of the damage when we got the signal that a ship was approaching via hyperspace. We were on edge until we saw the White Claw emerge from hyperspace. We assisted with the collection of the platforms, happy that they worked as we expected and then set a course for home.

The next step was to collect whatever we could of the two ships that were destroyed by the platforms. They had looked like the Neornith ship we had found, but there were obvious changes that would no doubt be useful to our research and development crews. I made sure that both ships were tracking the status of the Bloodlust as we entered the vortex, and we would monitor the trip to ensure that we could assist if needed. Thankfully, I had Vish send her own group of drones and we were confident that they would do the trick until we got there.